Mushroom and Barley Soup

2 to 2 ½ pieces first-cut beef flanken
Salt
1 ½ to 2 quarts water
1 carrot, scraped and cut in half vertically
1 stalk celery with leaves
1 small onion, peeled
2-inch pieces of parsnip and/or petrouchka
1 root of Italian parsley, if available
½ small knob celery, peeled, if available
2 or 3 sprigs parsley
3 dried Polish mushroom caps, soaked
20 minutes in hot water
2 tablespoons well-washed medium pearl barley
White pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill and 2 large or 4 small old potatoes, peeled, cut in half if large, and boiled for garnishes

1 1/2 to 2 quarts

Place the meat and a pinch of salt in a 3-to-4-quart soup pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim the foam from the surface, cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for one hour.
Add the carrot, celery, onion, parsnip and/or parsley root, knob celery and parsley sprigs.
Remove the dried mushroom caps from their soaking liquid and chop coarsely. Add to the soup. If the soaking liquid is not sandy, add it to the soup.
Simmer for one hour, then add the barley. Simmer for 30 minutes to one hour more, or until the meat is very tender. If the soup thickens too much add a little boiling water as needed.
Remove the meat, trim off the fat and cut in chunks or spoonsize pieces. Return to the pot. Vegetables can be diced and returned to soup or eliminated, as you prefer.
Skim the fat from the surface of the soup. Season to taste and sprinkle in the dill if desired. Serve each portion of soup and meat with half a large (or 1 small) boiled potato.

Although the bone adds flavor, it also makes the soup greasy. This is no problem if you cook it a day or several hours in advance of serving so that the top layer of fat can be removed easily when coagulated. If the soup is to be served within an hour of the time it has finished cooking, eliminate the bone.

2 hours 45 minutes